Wang Xu sat in the completely sealed hover car, unable to see the outside world, clueless about where they were taking him. He decided to ignore it and closed his eyes to begin his training.
The genetic warriors responsible for guarding Wang Xu shook their heads at his calm demeanor during such a grave situation. It was truly the bravado of a young calf who does not fear the tiger. They wondered how long he could maintain his composure.
About half an hour later, the hover car came to a stop. Wang Xu opened his eyes and was pushed out of the vehicle, where special cuffs made of unique materials were placed on him.
The car halted in front of a dilapidated, abandoned building, and several individuals escorted Wang Xu inside.
After just a few steps, he saw the bald man from before, along with a middle-aged man standing beside him.
This man resembled Xu Yuan by about seventy percent; Wang Xu recognized him immediately.
A sinking feeling gripped his heart. He never expected the Xu family to act so quickly. He had only gone to the director's office for a brief moment, and within less than an hour, the Xu family had learned of the incident and taken action. It was astonishing.
"You bastard, you must be Wang Xu!" Xu Tianqing's eyes were red-rimmed, and a fierce killing intent burned in his gaze.
He had already seen Xu Yuan's corpse; his neck was nearly severed, leaving a look of sheer bitterness in his eyes that pained Xu Tianqing deeply.
As the sole heir of the Xu family, whom he had doted on since childhood, to think that Xu Yuan was killed during a trial was unbearable!
Xu Tianqing was filled with rage, and he was determined to personally eliminate his enemy!
"Boss Xu, I've brought the person here. Where's the payment?" the bald man asked.
Xu Tianqing took out a gold card, saying, "There's three million Earth dollars inside; the extra million is for your brothers' tea money."
The bald man licked his lips, looking appreciatively at Xu Tianqing. This guy knew how to get on people's good side.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Wang Xu suddenly spoke up.
His tone was neither servile nor arrogant, his gaze unwavering as he faced Xu Tianqing.
Xu Tianqing seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world: "Your life is already in my hands! Just wait patiently for your death!"
"Unless you have government authorization," Wang Xu continued, "if this gets out and the government knows, even you, the Xu family, may not be able to bear the consequences."
Each fourth-tier elite student was an exceptional human being with privileges. To deal with a fourth-tier elite, one must obtain government permission; otherwise, it would be treated as a betrayal and punished severely!
Just because the Xu family had influence in the Seventh Security Zone did not mean the government would change its rules for them. Just as killing was prohibited in protected areas, breaching such laws was deemed a serious crime and would be pursued relentlessly!
"Do you think I care? This is my territory, and you'll die here. Do you really think the government will find out?" Xu Tianqing sneered.
"What if I have this?" Wang Xu suddenly waved his hand, revealing a data chip that he had received from the director.
Wang Xu had initially planned to go home and share the good news with his parents before reporting to the Extreme Path Hall. He aimed to participate in the assessment for the elite title and move his parents to the protected area. However, he never anticipated that Xu Tianqing would act so swiftly, so he had no choice but to reveal his identity.
Unlike ordinary communication devices, this chip allowed for intelligent voice-activated control. With just a few simple commands, Wang Xu could report the situation here to the virtual network.
Xu Tianqing frowned, glancing at the chip in Wang Xu's hand, and sarcastically said, "Hmph! It's just a data chip. I have countless of those in the Xu family. You really think this is enough to make me let you go? You're too naive!"
"Wait!" The bald man suddenly exclaimed, stepping in front of Wang Xu. "Let me see that chip... It's real, it's really real!"
"What's real?" Xu Tianqing snapped impatiently.
"The Extreme Path Hall! This is a chip from the Extreme Path Hall!" The bald man's eyes shone with fervor as he exclaimed loudly.
"What?!" Xu Tianqing froze, his face draining of color as though struck by lightning.
The Extreme Path Hall?
How could it be possible?
The military, the Free Alliance, and the Extreme Path Hall were recognized as the three major forces in the world.
Founded by the world's strongest person, Luo, the Extreme Path Hall permeated all security zones. This was a colossal entity for Xu Tianqing; even a whisper from it could topple the Xu family!
While the military and Free Alliance relied on sheer numbers for strength, the Extreme Path Hall was different—they recruited only individuals with exceptional talents. Being invited by the Extreme Path Hall meant that a person had immense potential, unlike the numerous members of the other two factions. Thus, the Hall's members, though fewer in number, stood firmly against both the military and the Free Alliance in strength.
Xu Tianqing had never anticipated this: Wang Xu had only just ascended to the fourth tier, having freshly emerged from the academy, without even having taken the elite assessment, yet he had already become a member of the Extreme Path Hall!
"Let him go! Quickly, release this young man!" Before Xu Tianqing could recover from his shock, the bald man hurriedly urged.
The other warriors weren't foolish either; at the mention of the "Extreme Path Hall," they shivered. They dared not provoke such figures and immediately loosened Wang Xu's shackles.
"What are you doing, Ma Wu?" Xu Tianqing's face turned dark.
Ma Wu threw back the gold card Xu Tianqing had given him. "This was your money; the deal is off! Xu Tianqing, if you want to die, fine, but don't drag us down with you!"
The mere mention of the Extreme Path Hall carried tremendous weight!
Others might not understand the Hall's strength, but Ma Wu did. He had once accompanied a small team to hunt insect beasts outside the security zone, one of whom was from the Extreme Path Hall.
Unfortunately, they ran into a seventh-tier powerhouse who attempted to rob them and killed the Hall member. Ma Wu narrowly escaped, but the next day, the news broke that the seventh-tier powerhouse had died!
From that moment on, Ma Wu understood: military personnel could be provoked, as could people from the Free Alliance, but the Extreme Path Hall was to be avoided at all costs!
They were a group of fanatics, possessing extraordinary talents and unmatched strength, and they were terrifyingly united!
"My young brother, I acted rashly and attacked without gathering enough information. My apologies. Here's a small token of my sincerity; consider it an apology." Ma Wu handed over a gold card containing five million Earth dollars, half his fortune.
The situation had changed in an instant, leaving Wang Xu stunned.
The influence of the Extreme Path Hall was enormous? Simply stating that he was part of it had caused the bald man's attitude to do a complete 180; it was almost too unbelievable!
"Forget it. Since you're sincerely apologizing, I won't pursue it further." Wang Xu regained his composure, accepting the gold card from Ma Wu. After casting a glance at Xu Tianqing, he turned to leave.
Xu Tianqing tried to stop Wang Xu, but Ma Wu positioned himself in front of him, speaking darkly, "Xu Tianqing, although your family is powerful, don't say I didn't warn you: this guy is not someone you can touch. If you're smart, you'll resolve this matter quickly, otherwise…"
With that, Ma Wu waved his hand and took his men out of the abandoned building.
Only Xu Tianqing and his remaining subordinates stood frozen in place, utterly bewildered.
...…
Once outside the dilapidated building, Wang Xu swiftly took off, not worried about anyone chasing after him, but his caution remained intact.
"Good thing I chose to join the Extreme Path Hall; otherwise, I might not have made it out of here alive today." Wang Xu felt fortunate. If he hadn't been an Extreme Path Hall member, Ma Wu would never have let him go, nor would he have offered him a gold card as an apology.
Initially, he had thought that the Extreme Path Hall was the weakest among the three forces, known only for its powerful ancient martial arts, which was why he chose to join.
Yet it turned out that the Extreme Path Hall was not only not the weakest, but perhaps the strongest force of them all!
"Dad, Mom, I'm back."
Wang Xu pushed the door open and was immediately hit by a strong smell of smoke. As he entered, he found his parents sitting at the table, their faces full of worry.
"Xu'er, come sit down." Wang Zhenguo flicked off the ash from his cigarette, his expression calm.
"Dad, Mom, you both don't look so good today. What happened?" Wang Xu inquired.
"Xu'er, tell Mom, what trouble have you gotten into?" His mother, Lin Hui, had red eyes. "Don't worry; no matter what you did, we stand by you."
Wang Xu felt confused but then realized what was going on.
"Did the Xu family come looking for you?" he asked darkly.
Seeing their silence, he understood that Xu Tianqing hadn't just targeted him; he'd also threatened his parents!
"I killed Xu Yuan, right there in the academy," Wang Xu said flatly.
Instantly, both of his parents visibly trembled.
"Xu Yuan was out to get me during the trials, and he nearly got me killed. Initially, I didn't want to kill him, but he… threatened your lives. To prevent future problems, I had to do it." Wang Xu explained. "But don't worry, Dad and Mom; I'm already a fourth-tier genetic warrior!"
Fourth tier?!
Wang Zhenguo's eyes lit up, disbelief shining in his expression as he exclaimed, "You… you've advanced to the fourth tier?"
Lin Hui, too, was taken aback, staring in shock at her son.
Wang Xu nodded earnestly.
"Haha..." Wang Zhenguo's worried expression vanished as he burst into joyous laughter, tears welling up in his eyes.
"I knew it! My son is a genius; he wouldn't let me down! Hahaha..."
A fourth-tier elite warrior!
A one-tier difference made all the difference in the world. Once he reached the fourth tier, Wang Xu would be an elite among humans, destined to be valued by the world government, and his future would be bright!
In the face of the fourth tier, what was a mere director position worth? It didn't matter anymore; now, my son was a human elite!
Lin Hui was so overwhelmed with excitement that she nearly cried, tightly grasping Wang Xu's hand and repeatedly saying, "Great, great! It's amazing! Xu'er has finally made something of himself..."
Witnessing this moment, Wang Xu felt a wave of emotion. He could sense the genuine joy of his parents and silently vowed to protect this hard-won family bond at all costs.